Brad Pitt Supporting Angelina Jolie During Her Mastectomy

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Taryn Ryder, a writer and reporter for Yahoo omg! provided us with this inspiring celebrity moment with a lesson for all the boyfriends and husbands out there: In May 2013, Angeline Jolie decided to undergo a double mastectomy after discovering that she carried the BRCA1 gene, a factor that greatly increases the chances of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer. The star was luckily able to keep the news from the media until, in a courageous move, she decided to write an op-ed piece for The New York Times about her decision in the hopes that it would help other women to work through the same and similar experiences. Ryder elaborated: "It was Jolie's choice to share her story, and she did so in an educational way, removing some of the fears and taboos associated with mastectomies." In the piece, Jolie expresses gratitude to her husband Brad Pitt for his support: "I am fortunate to have a partner [...] who is so loving and supportive. So to anyone who has a wife or girlfriend going through this, know that you are a very important part of the transition. Brad [was with me] for every minute of the surgeries."

Lesson to be learned: Supporting your partner is No. 1. There are so many ways to express your love to someone, but few are as meaningful as being completely dedicated to your partner in their time of need. It is in those times when we feel most lonely and most afraid that a loving partner becomes the center of our world and keeps us from spinning away. Especially in our older years, certain changes in our health, like the one Jolie went through, can threaten our identities or our manhood or womanhood. It is so important to assure your partner that these changes will never affect the love you have for them. Ryder made a good suggestion about this point: "It doesn't hurt to give your partner a compliment every once in a while to help boost her self-esteem. Brad publicly declared that Angelina was 'sexy as ever' post-surgery."